Fear grips town as woman's family mourn their 'angel'

Page Tools

The body of German backpacker Simone Strobel lay just metres
from where the women played tennis.

Three times each week they played on the grass courts at
Lismore's Continental Sport and Recreation Club, and Thursday,
February 17, was no different.

Six days after Ms Strobel was first reported missing by her
boyfriend Tobias Suckfuell, the women realised something was
terribly wrong.

Hours later, police found the badly decomposed body of the
25-year-old kindergarten teacher under a pile of palm fronds in the
corner of the sports club grounds. It was 200 metres from the camp
site from where she had vanished on February 11.

Ms Strobel's uncle, her brother and brother-in-law travelled
from their home at Wurzburg near Frankfurt to be with Mr Suckfuell
and his sister Katrin, who had been travelling around
Australia.

On Thursday the family gathered at the Uralba Street memorial to
make an impassioned plea for information. They attached laminated
photographs of Ms Strobel to the cyclone wire fence, adorned the
photos with yellow roses, and laid a mass of yellow sunflowers
beside the dozens of other bouquets.

Clearly distraught, Mr Suckfuell read from a prepared statement
in which he described his girlfriend's death as an "assassination"
and called for "this bloody evil monster" to be brought to
justice.

"Simone was full of love and happiness," he said. "The last
couple of months, when she travelled through Australia, she said it
was like living in paradise.

"She was an angel on earth and we can't understand why Jesus
took her away. Nobody can answer this question but everybody can
see her bright shining star now."

Speaking in German, Ms Strobel's brother-in-law Uwe Klein said
her parents were too grief-stricken to travel. He said they had all
struggled to comprehend her death and, after visiting Lismore he
was even more disturbed that someone could be killed amid such
beauty.

"The people are so kind and so sympathetic to what has happened
to us," he said. "Being here now, I just can't imagine how
something like this could happen in a town like this."

Since the body was found there has been criticism of the police
investigation. They were slow to start searching for Ms Strobel
after telling her boyfriend she would probably turn up at
Nimbin.

Police have not revealed the cause of Ms Strobel's death,
neither have they confirmed they are conducting a murder
investigation.

Last week they released a comfit image of a man wanted for
questioning and began searching a local dump. But other details are
scant and detectives are reluctant to talk publicly.

Meanwhile, Lismore residents are struggling to come to terms
with what they suspect is a murderer living in their midst.

Father Michael Alcock, who conducted a memorial service attended
by more than 200 people last Sunday, said there were so many
unanswered questions that people had begun coming to him for
counselling.

"The thought that someone in our own community could have done
something so heinous [means] the community is fractured at the
moment," he said.

Mayor Merv King said he feared the tragedy would affect tourism
in the area, but hoped travellers would be drawn back by the
region's beauty.

"There is a great sense of concern and sympathy and we are
questioning how something like this can happen," said Cr King.

Residents say they cannot believe Simone's body could have gone
unnoticed for six days and say they no longer feel safe in their
homes.

"I've got four teenage girls," said Arlene Bolt, "and I won't
let them out of my sight."